Tray tables are widely used in most aircraft seat assemblies. The tray table sub-assembly is typically pivoted on a pair of arms which allows the tray table to swivel between deployed and stowed positions, for example, relative to the back of the aircraft seat. This can provide a convenient table for a person sitting in a position facing the rear of the seat, such as a passenger situated aft of a forward-facing seat. When deployed, tray tables may be used as a surface for supporting food, drink, or other items, such as for work or entertainment during travel. The pivoting nature of the tray table may be useful in allowing the tray table to be readily deployed when desired by a seated passenger or readily stowed, such as to facilitate egress or ingress relative to the seat.
Different slider assemblies exist for movement of a tray table surface toward or away from a seat back. Such motion may allow the tray table to be moved closer or further away from a passenger, as desired. Typically, slider assemblies include components that permit the tray table surface to translate relative to the swiveling arms in at least the deployed position. In many slider assemblies, a large number of components (such as ball bearings, housings, shafts, springs, and others) are used to provide such functionality, resulting in additional costs and sources of weight that may be desirable to avoid, especially when multiplied across a large number of seats common aboard aircraft or other passenger craft.
Additionally, various sizes and styles of tray tables exist to accommodate different sizes and styles of passenger seats. This variety of sizes and styles can result in increased manufacturing costs due to different tools (such as molds or dies) being used to construct various different sub-components. Additionally, in many cases, a larger size of tray table corresponds to an increased amount of weight, which is desirably avoided.